Tyler Perry hit with $260-million sexual harassment lawsuit from ‘The Oval’ actor
As a devoted movie enthusiast, I’m finding myself caught up in a storm of legal issues involving none other than Tyler Perry. The media titan is currently under fire for alleged improper conduct, with an actor from his BET series “The Oval” accusing him of quid pro quo sexual harassment, sexual battery, and retaliation, among other claims. The total potential damages are staggering at $260 million.
On Friday, Derek Dixon, an actor, filed a lawsuit against the wealthy film and TV producer, Tyler Perry, in the Los Angeles County Superior Court. According to court papers seen by The Times, Dixon alleges that Perry exploited his position in the entertainment industry to establish a manipulative, sexually charged relationship with him, initially offering career advancement and creative opportunities. Both Tyler Perry Studios and And Action production company are named as defendants in the lawsuit.
A spokesperson for Perry didn’t instantly provide a comment to The Times following their request, but his lawyer, Matthew Boyd, declared the lawsuit as a “fraud” in a statement distributed to various media sources.
Entertainment & Arts
In the New York sex crimes retrial, Harvey Weinstein has been declared guilty of rape. However, he was found not guilty on one count, and the jury could not reach a verdict on a third charge.
Tyler won’t be intimidated, and we firmly believe that these unfounded accusations of misconduct will prove to be baseless,” the statement explained.
According to Dixon’s 46-page lawsuit, he claims he encountered the creator of “House of Payne” in September 2019 while working an event for Perry. Shortly after their initial encounter, Perry offered Dixon a chance to audition for his show “Ruthless.” Perry promised to transform Dixon’s life and gave him a minor role on the TV series, marking the beginning of a chain of reciprocal offers, according to the lawsuit.
As a devoted movie enthusiast, let me share some troubling news that has surfaced recently regarding an individual named Perry. Over the period spanning January 2020 to June 2024, it’s been alleged in a lawsuit that he maintained a disconcerting pattern of sexual harassment, assault, and retaliation at his workplace.
Interestingly, I had the pleasure of watching Perry on the screen for four consecutive years as he played a significant role in the presidential drama series “The Oval,” which aired from 2021 to 2025. According to IMDb, he appeared in a total of 85 episodes during this timeframe.
Dixon claimed Perry repeatedly questioned him about his personal relationships, made inappropriate remarks, and showed signs of envy towards his connections with other men throughout their professional partnership. The grievance includes numerous snapshots of supposed dialogues between the two, including messages where the producer inquired “What’s needed for you to have guilt-free sex?” and described the actor as a rose that he couldn’t smell or open due to being blocked.
The ongoing lawsuit against Perry, reminiscent of cases involving Harvey Weinstein, Bill Cosby, Kevin Spacey, among others, who faced accusations of sexual misconduct in Hollywood, outlines various instances where Perry is alleged to have inappropriately touched the actor. The first instance occurred in January 2020 when Dixon spent the night in a guest room at Perry’s home in Georgia. During this time, Dixon claims that Perry slipped into bed behind him and began rubbing his body in a highly suggestive and sexual manner around his inner thigh. Furthermore, Dixon accuses Perry of forcefully grabbing his throat in March 2020, groping his buttocks in a trailer later that year, and again pulling down his underwear and groping his buttocks in June 2021.
The complaint emphasizes that Dixon repeatedly rebuffed Perry’s attempts to court him and navigated a delicate balance, maintaining a professional but amicable relationship with Perry to ensure their continued working relationship. He alleges that throughout his time on “The Oval,” the fear of Perry terminating his character was ever-present. Moreover, according to the lawsuit, Perry also showed an interest in helping Dixon create his own show.
Sports
The Fox Sports executive, Charlie Dixon, who faced allegations of sexual battery from ex-employees in two separate lawsuits, is now jobless at the company.
According to the lawsuit, Dixon chose to distance himself from Perry following the alleged assault in June 2021. However, the producer’s associates reportedly contacted Dixon with a fresh storyline for his character on “Oval” and an increased salary. They also claimed that Dixon should not disclose these new benefits to his co-stars.
In the time period that ensued, Perry is said to have persistently inquired about Dixon’s personal life, particularly focusing on his romantic history. However, by March 2024, the proposals for Dixon’s show started to disintegrate. Interestingly, when Perry proposed a writing position for Dixon on one of his series in June 2024, Dixon allegedly came to understand that Perry was not genuinely committed to fostering Dixon’s career growth, as stated in the lawsuit.
According to Dixon, he brought forward a claim about suspected sexual harassment to the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission; however, no investigation into his complaint was conducted. Subsequently, Dixon departed from “The Oval”, and Perry is said to have retaliated by stating that Dixon could only mention he was going on medical leave. The lawsuit states that “Defendant made the leave of absence unpaid, thereby effectively ending Plaintiff’s employment, resulting in further financial loss for Dixon and adding insult to injury.
The lawsuit further involves claims of hostile work environment, sexual misconduct, gender-based violence at the workplace, negligence in employee retention, and deliberate causing of emotional harm.
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2025-06-19 00:01